


I'm Not Leaving

by musicalfreak86



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Dani is an anxious bean, F/F, Fluff, Jamie is a big softie, Sickfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, no one is dead, so if that bothers you proceed with caution, there's some vomit but it's not graphic, we like our lesbians alive and happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicalfreak86/pseuds/musicalfreak86
Summary: When Miles and Flora come down with a bug and Dani is stressed out, Jamie can't stop herself from staying to help, no matter the consequences.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 57
Kudos: 412





	I'm Not Leaving

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, it's been almost three years since I've written fic, but this pairing has dragged me right back into fandom. I banged this out really quickly and only read it over once, so forgive any mistakes. Honestly, I don't think this is going to be the last fic I write for these two either. 
> 
> Just a quick warning: this fic is about a stomach bug. There aren't any graphic descriptions, but if that's something that bothers you, you should definitely proceed with caution! I tried to make it as bearable as possible though!

“What in the hell are you doing?”

It hadn’t taken Jamie long to realize that the new au pair was an odd bird. She supposed that all Americans were, having not known many Americans, but this one seemed exceptionally so. Add in her pathetic inability to make anything even resembling a hot drink, and her obsession with pastels, and Jamie was gone within a week of meeting her.

However, standing now in the doorway to the kitchen with Hannah, Jamie begins to genuinely wonder about Dani’s sanity.

“Love, you do remember that’s my job, right?” Hannah pipes up, one hand nervously playing with the necklace that hangs at her collarbone. Jamie glances sideways at her, and then back at Dani, who is scrubbing the kitchen table, and for some reason, chairs, with gusto. The whole room reeks of bleach, and Jamie wrinkles her nose.

“No, no,” Dani says absently, not looking up from her endeavor. “No, you both should stay out of here. Don’t.” She puts out a hand to stop Jamie as she takes a step into the kitchen, the bleach rag dangling dangerously from her hand. Jamie winces when the cleaner drips onto the floor.

“Poppins, are we missing something here?” Jamie asks, squinting both at her and against the smell.

“Flora’s got a stomach bug,” Dani sighs, setting back to work on the table. “I thought maybe it was just something she ate, but then Miles got it, too.”

“Don’t tell Owen you thought it was the food,” Jamie says slowly, glancing at Hannah again. She raises her eyebrows and puts her hand to her mouth to hide her laugh. “How did they get a bug? They’ve only been around us.”

“You can look at a child and they’ll get sick,” Hannah comments, and Dani nods without taking her eyes off of her work.

“Stomach bugs used to fly through the school back home,” Dani says. She wrings the rag out in the sink and sets to work on one of the chairs. This move sends Hannah over the edge. She hurries in and pulls the cushion off of the chair.

“I’ll wash these,” she says, moving to do the same with the other five. “Don’t worry about it,” she cuts Dani off when she opens her mouth to protest.

“Okay, but please wash your hands,” Dani pleads as Hannah leaves the room. “I don’t want anyone else to catch this. You should probably all stay away from me, too.”

“Like hell I will,” Jamie says, finally entering the kitchen. She wraps her arms around Dani’s middle from behind, placing an, albeit slightly bleach flavored, open-mouthed kiss on her neck. Dani’s movements falter as she leans back slightly into the embrace. This thing between them is still so new that Jamie can still make her melt with the slightest touch, even when she’s stressed out, although Jamie is pretty sure that this will last for much longer than a honeymoon phase. She has a good feeling about this one. “You couldn’t keep me away if you _and_ the children were all imitating the exorcist.”

“The what?” Dani asks, turning in her arms. Jamie leans back, narrowly missing the bleach-soaked rag.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. Maybe another time,” Jamie says, noting the au pair’s still slightly frantic visage. She looks around the kitchen instead. “How much is left to clean?” She pauses, a little hesitant. “Is there a puddle of sick somewhere that I should be aware of?”

“Oh, no, I already look care of that,” Dani replies, looking a little green. “I just didn’t want us to spread any germs. They both made it through lunch before it hit, although Flora narrowly. I just want to take care of the banisters going upstairs, and maybe a few doorknobs.”

Jamie grimaces at the thought and releases Dani, who briefly looks hurt before she realizes that the gardener is heading to the sink for her own rag. “Look, I’ll take care of the banisters. You finish up in here and then check on the little gremlins. I’m sure you’re dying to.”

Dani looks a little relieved and she nods, turning back to the table with renewed vigor. “They were sleeping when I left them, which is a blessing for everyone involved. But I would like to take their temperatures and maybe bring them some tea? Is that something you all do when you’re sick?”

Jamie and Hannah, who has just returned to the room, almost shout “no!” in unison. Dani’s mouth falls open, but Hannah is quick to say, “I’ll make them some and send it upstairs with you. Just focus on one task at a time, how about it?”

“Yeah, okay,” Dani says with a small smile. Jamie knows she must be aware by now that her tea is shite, but she takes the blow like a champ.

* * *

It only takes Dani a few more minutes to finish in the kitchen, and by then Hannah has finished the two cups of tea for the children. She sends Dani on her way upstairs, carefully balancing the cups on a tray. Jamie pauses her vigorous rub down of the banister to peck her on the cheek as she passes by.

“You shouldn’t,” Dani hisses. “You’ll get sick.”

“You’re not sick yet, are ya Poppins?” Jamie shoots back.

“No, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Dani says, and the soft look of concern that crosses her face makes Jamie’s heart skip a beat.

Jamie shrugs. “If it happens, then so be it. I could shove off if you’d really like me to. But I’ll also have you know that I brought something to sleep in.” She jerks her head toward the front doors. “I’ve got a little bag in my truck. You know, just in case.”

Dani looks pained and turns on her heel to continue up the stairs. Jamie chuckles to herself and gets back to cleaning. It doesn’t take her long to finish, although she probably isn’t as thorough as Dani would have been. The little American worries too much, in Jamie’s opinion. She rinses the rag and hangs it to dry before making her way upstairs to see if Dani needs any help.

She raises her fist to knock on the children’s door but pauses when she hears the sound of crying from inside.

“Dani,” she knocks loudly. She’s about to let herself in when Dani cracks the door open. She looks flustered again, and Jamie tries to step around her into the room. Dani blocks her and Jamie almost laughs, knowing that she could probably take the woman if she had to. “Is everyone alright?”

“I think so,” Dani says, glancing behind her when the crying picks up again. “I’m just running a bath for Flora. She’s really feeling awful. She’s taking it much worse than Miles, who doesn’t seem to want my help at all.” Jamie nods. Miles is of the age where having a young woman help him when he’s sick is probably more embarrassing than comforting. “Really though, I can take care of this. It’s not pretty in here.”

“Okay Poppins,” Jamie replies. “Look, I’ll be downstairs with Hannah if you need anything, alright? I’m not going anywhere.”

She can tell that Dani wants to argue, but she can’t miss the relief in her eyes either, knowing that Jamie will stay. Jamie winks at her, knowing that Dani won’t let her sneak another kiss, and turns to head back downstairs.

* * *

Jamie spends most of a quiet afternoon in the kitchen with Owen and Hannah. They share conversation, bad puns from Owen as he cooks dinner, and of course, some tea. Jamie doesn’t think that she will ever get tired of the time she spends with her little found family, although concern for Dani lurks at the back of her mind the whole time. It’s just a couple of sick kids; nothing the au pair can’t handle. Jamie shakes her head at herself. Since when would she volunteer to help with a pair of gross, pukey kids? She’s always had a huge soft spot for Miles and Flora, but she’s realizing very quickly that she has an even bigger one for their au pair.

Darkness has fallen outside before Dani finally makes her way downstairs. She has obviously showered—her hair is wet, and she has changed her clothes. She drops into the chair next to Jamie and puts her head in her hands. Jamie rubs circles on her back.

“How are they?” Hannah asks. Dani looks up and they can all see the exhaustion on her face.

“I think we’re through the worst of it,” Dani mutters, knocking on the wooden table. “Their fevers have gone down a little, and they’re both asleep. I told them to yell for me if they need me, but I’m hoping they’re down for the night.”

“From what I’ve heard, you’ve done well,” Owen says, setting a plate full of food in front of her. Dani groans and pushes it away.

“It looks amazing Owen, truly,” she says, although her face says differently. “But my appetite is all but gone after the day I’ve had.”

Jamie reaches over and steals a piece of broccoli from the plate. “You sure Poppins?” she asks, gesturing with the vegetable. “You really should eat something.” When Dani shakes her head, Jamie picks up her fork and starts picking at the food on the plate.

Hannah slides Dani a cup of tea. “Didn’t you get enough to eat already?” she asks Jamie, raising an eyebrow at the empty plate that still sits in front of her. Jamie shrugs and goes right on cleaning the second plate. She tries a few more times to get Dani to eat, but it’s all in vain. She sips on her tea and listens tiredly to the conversation happening around her. Her head finally hits Jamie’s shoulder with a force that makes her jump a little in surprise.

“We should probably get you to bed Poppins. Come on,” Jamie says quietly. Dani nods and allows herself to be pulled to her feet. As she leads her to the stairs with a hand on Dani’s lower back, Jamie catches Owen’s raised eyebrow from across the kitchen. Jamie glares at him but allows a small smile to break through, just to soften it. Hannah makes a shooing gesture at them and her smile grows into a grin.

* * *

Jamie practically has to take Dani’s clothes off herself, which in theory sounds a lot sexier than it actually is. She hunts in her closet for the comfiest looking oversized t-shirt she can find and pulls it over Dani’s head before turning her around and giving her a gentle push toward the bed. Once she has sunk down onto it, Jamie grabs the overnight bag she stowed away earlier and heads to the connected bathroom to shower off the dirt from her time in the garden that day.

She expects to find Dani already asleep when she gets out, but instead she is sitting up in the bed, drowsy but waiting on her.

“May I?” Jamie asks quietly, standing next to the bed and toying a little with the edge of the blanket.

“Please,” Dani replies, flipping the corner back. As soon as Jamie slides under the covers, Dani plasters herself to her side. She tucks her head under Jamie’s chin, and the gardener chuckles and wraps her arms around her.

“Not worried about getting me sick anymore, eh Poppins?” Jamie teases lightly, running her fingers through Dani’s almost dry hair.

“I’ve warned you,” Dani mumbles. The feeling of her breath against her neck makes goosebumps break out over Jamie’s body, but she knows that this isn’t the time, and she squeezes Dani closer instead. “You’ve chosen your own fate.”

Jamie laughs aloud and uses her fingers to tilt Dani’s face up toward hers. “Am I allowed a goodnight kiss then?”

Dani grins and presses their lips together. She slips her tongue into Jamie’s mouth and Jamie groans, resisting the urge to slide a hand under the ridiculously large t-shirt and pulls away instead. Dani whines at the loss of contact.

“Plenty of time for that later,” Jamie whispers, booping her on the nose with her finger. “You’re exhausted, and you need to sleep.”

There isn’t much protest from Dani, who tangles their legs together and tucks her head back under Jamie’s chin. Her breathing evens out almost instantly.

* * *

The sun is just beginning to rise when Jamie wakes up. At first, she can’t figure what roused her, but she quickly realizes that she is covered in sweat.

“Dani,” she whispers, trying to pull herself out of the embrace. The au pair only clings harder; it’s like trying to get out of an octopus’s grip. “Dani, I’m too hot.”

“Yeah you are,” Dani mumbles back, and Jamie has to suppress a snort.

“No, Dani,” Jamie says, almost fully awake now. She rolls over to face her and puts a hand to Dani’s forehead. “You’re burning up.”

Dani wrinkles her nose in a truly adorable way, but Jamie doesn’t get much chance to appreciate the sight, because Dani shoots upright.

“Dani?” Jamie asks, hesitantly. “You alright?”

Dani appears to be contemplating something, but before Jamie can even reach out to touch her, she shoots out of the bed and disappears into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Jamie groans aloud when she hears retching on the other side. A very brief scan of the room reveals one of Dani’s scrunchies on the bedside table and Jamie puts it around her wrist before she climbs out of the bed.

“Poppins?” she calls, knocking softly on the bathroom door. “Can I come in?” She hears a flush and takes it as confirmation, pushing the door open gently. “Oh, you poor thing.”

Dani is sitting on the floor with her head tilted back against the wall. Her face is pink, but Jamie can see her shivering even from across the room.

“Here, let me,” she says, sitting on the edge of the bathtub and coaxing Dani to lean against her legs. She can feel the heat of her fever through the shirt she is wearing. Jamie gathers her hair away from her face and secures it with the scrunchie. “There, that’s better. You might be in for a long day.” She rubs Dani’s shoulders and then down her arms, and Dani lets her head fall back.

“You should go,” Dani croaks, but Jamie shakes her head.

“What did I tell you yesterday?” she says, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “You can’t get rid of me this easily.” Dani manages a half smile in her direction, but the moment is cut short by her lunging for the toilet again. Jamie sighs and rubs her back, grimacing a little. “And it’s a good thing I have a strong stomach,” she mutters.

* * *

They spend most of the morning in the bathroom, Dani not feeling confident enough in her stomach to even make it back to the bed. Jamie’s back is aching from sitting on the edge of the tub, and though she is more than happy to play the supportive girlfriend role, she is relieved when Dani asks her to help her get back to the bed. Once she is settled, Jamie excuses herself to get a glass of water and to speak with Hannah.

“Here,” she says, handing Dani the water and then sitting on the bed next to her. “Hannah says that the children are still asleep. She’s going to check in on them today, but she figures that they won’t be up to much after yesterday.” Dani accepts the water and sips it cautiously, unsure if it will stay down or send her running for the bathroom again. She seems to deem it acceptable and takes another sip before setting it aside on the bedside table and leaning back against the headboard.

“You shouldn’t—”

“Stop,” Jamie says, cutting her off before she can finish the sentence. She tilts her head to make Dani look at her. “Look, if you don’t want me here because you prefer to be alone when you’re sick, then that’s cool, I’ll leave. But if you’re just worried about me getting sick, well, that ship has sailed, Poppins. If I’m going to catch this then it’s too late. I’ve accepted my fate.” Dani laughs a little tearfully at her throwing her words from last night back at her.

“I hate being alone when I’m sick,” she says, her voice is raspy. “Edmund couldn’t handle it. Whenever I caught something from the children at school, he would bring me the things I needed, but he would make himself scarce if he could.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve already established how I feel about him,” Jamie says with an eyeroll. She slides her legs back under the covers, resigned to staying in bed all day. It’s not something she’s particularly upset about, that’s for sure, although her roses might protest the neglect. But when Dani scoots closer and rests her head on her shoulder again, Jamie decides that her roses can wait. She holds her tightly until her shivers begin to subside.

* * *

By the evening time, Dani seems to be feeling a little better. There were a few more sprints to the bathroom throughout the afternoon, but when she finally manages to keep the glass of water down, Jamie upgrades her to a cup of tea. This also seems to sit well, and Jamie steals downstairs while Dani showers to get some dinner herself.

“How is she?” Hannah asks, handing Jamie a plate.

“Better, I think,” Jamie replies. “She’s showering now. I think I’ll stay one more night.” Hannah smiles knowingly and Jamie drops her eyes to her plate. “She doesn’t like to be alone when she’s sick,” she mumbles.

“It’s very sweet of you to stay,” Hannah says, tucking into her own meal. She exchanges a look with Owen, who also has an infuriating smile on his face.

“So sweet,” Owen agrees with a wink, and Jamie throws a roll at him.

* * *

The next morning, Dani wakes up _hungry._ She rolls over in Jamie’s arms and finds her already waking up. They laugh at the loud grumble that comes from Dani’s stomach.

“Someone’s feeling better,” Jamie teases, poking Dani in the side and getting a squeal in response that delights her.

“So much better,” Dani responds with a grin. Jamie leans in for a kiss. Dani tastes like toothpaste.

“I’m glad,” Jamie says, bumping their noses together. “Do you mind if I go check on the garden? I’ll come back, and I can stay with you this afternoon. But roses are finicky and—”

“Go,” Dani says, cutting off the ramble that she finds adorable. “I’m okay, and I should really check on the children and get them ready for breakfast. I think we all need to eat.”

Jamie plants one more kiss on her forehead before getting up and dressing for the day.

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Dani heads downstairs with Flora and Miles, who are pale but chipper.

“Well, look at you three,” Owen says with a smile. He throws his arms around the three of them. Miles squirms to get out of the embrace, but Flora and Dani hug him back. “Back in the world of the living.”

“And hungry!” Flora pipes up, sitting at the table and looking eagerly at Owen, who laughs and sets a plate in front of her.

“Here you go, love,” he says. He moves back to the stove to grab plates for Miles and Dani but freezes by the window. “Uh oh.”

“What’s wrong?” Dani asks, her voice filled with worry. Anxious as she tends to be, a million different scenarios run through her head.

“Ah, Dani. You might want to go get your gardener,” Owen says, turning around and putting the plates on the table. “She’s tossing her cookies in her roses.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought! I'm a sucker for sick!fics, so honestly, there's a possibility that this could turn into a mini series. Would y'all be interested in that?
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


End file.
